


Godly Being

by BlurryFaceLion



Category: Original - Fandom
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-10 14:53:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5590417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlurryFaceLion/pseuds/BlurryFaceLion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A group of gifted super humans band together to create the Order, a crime-fighting team.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I sat on the edge of the bed my head in my hands. I'd done it again. It happens every time. I don't know why I thought this would be any different. I guess I guess I just wanted to try again. I get so lonely. I looked at her in her black laced lingerie and felt guilty as fuck. The head board of her bed had a line of red where her head had hit. Her pillow was stained with a small puddle of blood. I sighed. I should have learned by now that can't be dominant in bed. I had to let them be top. Otherwise I'd injure them. I just get too excited. There wasn't much to do now. She was breathing so she was alive. I lifted my shirt over my head and let it fall onto me. Then I slowly pulled my pants on to avoid ripping them like I had countless times before. I carefully punched in 911 into her phone and left her apartment address with the medics. Then I wrote a short sorry note and left it on her table. I went home. I had work tomorrow.

The next day I was at the construction site on time as usual. Having a job made me seem a bit more normal even though my job wasn't really a normal job. I wore a hood all the time. Never a construction helmet. Never a neon vest. I did things like hooking up beams to be lifted, hammering them into place, or holding still because human hands are much more coordinated than a crane. I get paid quite bit but most of my money went into savings. Under contract by my request I didn't have contact with any of my coworkers outside of work and I had limited contact in work. My identity was kept secret and I often worked when others were on break. It was complicated but I did for the safety of the other workers. If people figured out what I could do, they would not be happy. Today, I was put in the docking station where I would unload steel beam from trucks and placed them to be lifted up to the workers. I had finished quickly and was taking a break I really didn't need when I heard it. The grinding metal screech that came from the crane was a sure sign of trouble. I could see it lurch the beam in it grasp swinging wildly. Instinct drove me forward into a run. The construction workers were staring up backing away. All but two moved. "Get out the way!" I screamed but they didn't hear me. There was a snap as the cord broke and the beam came down. I shoved the two backwards and they went rolling through the dirt. My hands flew above my head and the beam connected with them. I barely felt it. I honestly had no idea how much these things weighed. I guess it didn't matter because everything felt the same weight to me. Whether it was a loaf of bread or a car I could crush it like a tin can. It was hard to control such strength I admit. I've injured a lot of people. I've caused a lot of destruction. But I try to help. Isn't that what counts?

I lowered the beam to the ground slowly. I could hear talking. It was all around me. I pulled my hood more over my burning face and started to walk off. 

"Wait!" I turned to see one of the men coming towards me on his knees, one arm holding his other elbow. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for saving me! How can I ever repay you?!" 

I blinked. Oh no. "Fuck," I muttered. I did not mean to say that out loud. 

He looked surprised. "I have a wife and kids, but if you really want to we can..."he answered lowly. 

"That's not what I meant," I answered. I ran a hand over my burning face and walked off despite his protests. My boss met up with me. "Can I have a while off?"

"Of course. We can have you moved to the shipping bay on the edge of town. I can talk to the yard head. He'll call you up in a couple of weeks. You'll be paid until he's informed me you've settled in." He nodded politely to me. "Thank you for your service." 

I nodded back awkwardly. He left and went to talk to the rest of the workers. I took a long confusing path home while constantly checking behind me to make sure no one was following me. When I got back to my tiny apartment, I took a shower. I got out of the shower and looked at myself in the mirror. Short dust colored hair. 6 foot 3 inches. I really didn't look as strong as I was. Slightly muscular I guess you could say but my abs weren't well defined. I didn't have broad shoulders. I was pretty feminine for a guy. At least I thought so. My package wasn't small but it wasn't big. My eyes were a dull green, sometimes grey. It depended on what I wore really. I liked to keep my face clean shaven. Like that I looked around my early 20s. Overall, I wasn't the perfect dream guy. I guess it didn't matter. I slipped on a graphic tee and jeans. No tattoos but a couple of bracelets always satisfied me. To finish it off, I wore my black boots. It was cool outside, not cold, despite being winter. No snow yet. I was outside walking and decided to hit the bar. Normally, I would avoid the bar but I felt a drink would make up for recent circumstances. 

I went to the Alleyway. It was a pretty famous bar in Gerith. None for its wide array of alcoholic drinks and decent sushi. I visited every now and then as it was also pretty quiet and rarely had bar fights. Plus it had lots of cute people. I sat down and had my usual starter the Alley Cat, a sweet and spicy mix that no one ever knows what's in it but is popular. After that I tried out the weekly special and ordered a roll of sushi. I was on my third drink and almost done when someone sat down beside me. She was blonde, young, and wearing decent clothes which was a surprise and kind of a turn on. 

"You come here often?" I asked as coolly as I could with my face already burning. 

"No actually. I'm pretty new to this city." She answered with a gruff voice. 

I smiled. "Would you like a drink? I'll buy."

She smiled. 

We shared a few drinks and a few jokes. I gave her some cheesy pick up lines to laugh at. We talked about football and how neither of were very into it. Then we talked about pasttimes. She was an artist on the side of being a vet. She enjoyed animals. She actually had a cat and two dogs. She had pictures of them. Separate pictures. That seemed funny. But they were cute. I didn't have animals but I didn't mind them. 

There was a tap on my shoulder and I turned around. A skinny guy was standing there. He was taller than me but skinny. Long black hair. Brown eyes. Pale skin. 

"Excuse me but that's my girlfriend," he said crossing his arms. 

"Well fuck."

"Ex actually," she answered crossing her arms also. 

"Hey. I never said we were through. I told you before I'd do anything to get you back. I'll prove it!" He said almost in a beg. 

"Alright. Prove it. If you win a fight against him," she nodded to me, "then I'll take you back."

"What?" I asked confused. 

"Deal," he answered. He pointed me. "You, me, in the alley, in ten minutes."

"But-" 

He stormed off. 

"Why does this feel rehearsed?" I asked. 

"Pfft. Oh come on. You aren't afraid are you? Look if you give him a little scare, I'll go home with you for the night," she said and winked at me. 

I couldn't argue with that. "Alright."

I finished my drink and sushi then went outside into the alley. A few bored drinkers saw the motion and followed for the show. This scrawny guy cracked his knuckles and put up his fists. I just stood there swaying a little from too many drinks. 

"I'm ready whenever you are," I yawned. 

He socked me right in the nose. It didn't hurt, but it surprised me. I didn't see him move. He circled around me as I raised my on hands. He seemed irritated, wearing this smug expression. He hit me again and again. I threw out a punch or two but he dodged them like nothing. This guy was like lightning. 

I looked over at the girl who I had forgotten to ask for her name. She looked calm and interested like this was an experiment, not a petty fight. It made me want to win all the more, but I couldn't do it like this. 

He punched me in the face again. I let out a yelp and fell onto my back, covering my face. Through my fingers, I could see the skinny guy lean over me, trying to see if he really had done some damage. I lifted my leg and kicked him right between the legs. He made a high pitched noise and fell to his knees as he clutched his crotch. I sat up quickly, before he could recover and punched him right in the face. 

Five minutes later, we were back inside the bar. The guy was sitting at the island with a glass of ice water against his swollen black eye. 

"Here," I told him, setting a twenty dollar bill on the counter in front of him. "Get yourself something to drink."

"Thanks..." He paused. 

"Todd," I answered. 

"Oliver," he introduced. "You take care of Allie, alright? Or I'll find you and next time, I won't go easy on you."

"Alright," I answered as Allie leaned on me. She wrapped her arms around mine. 

I paid the bartender and left with her. We walked back to my apartment. When we got there, we kicked off our shoes and got comfortable. I offered her food but she said no. I put on some music from the 90's, my favorite. The couch offered comfort to me. She pulled off her jacket and walked over to me. She sat on my lap and I could feel my blush rising to my face. 

Alright, calm down. I don't want to have another accident like last time. I need to let her come to me. It shouldn't be hard. She's already on my lap. 

I kept perfectly still as she wrapped her arms around my neck. She smiled. "You seem really strong. Do you workout?" She asked curiously. 

"W-well when I remember. I'm not really that strong. Just lucky." I tried to smile past the lump in my throat. 

She nodded then leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I know what you can do."

My stomach went cold. "And...what's that?"

She got off me and stood in front of me with her hands on her hips. "Everything. I know about your super strength. I know about you stopping the train in 1993. I know about the bank robbery in 1940. I know about the construction site earlier today. 

"I know a lot about you that you don't want me to know." 

I stood up and backed up looking a little worried. 

"Sure you know that. But you don't know EVERYTHING I've done! You don't know how many people I've injured, all the stuff I've broken, the innocent people that I've..." I stopped. I didn't want to tell her that I've killed people. She could send me to jail. I had a life. I couldn't just quit on all that. "It was all an accident... How do you know?"

"Todd, we can help you!" She rested a hand on my shoulder. Her blue eyes shone in the dim light. "There are others like you and we can work to help you. Your power can be used for good. You're not the only one who's found the Star Children. Me and Oliver are both Blessed. We both have powers. We've learned to control them better with the help of the Order. I'm telling you. They can help you too!" 

I took a step back. "You and Oliver have powers too?!"

She nodded and opened her mouth to say something then closed it. She took another step back started... changing. Her hair grew shorter, her ears pointier, and her arms longer. Next thing I knew, there was a full grown husky dog wearing Allie's baggy clothes as it sat on the floor. 

"Uh-er...what?" I got dizzy so I sat down. 

"It's alright," Allie's voice came from the dog. "It's just me."

"Just you? Just you?!" I asked baffled. "You're a damn dog! You look just like your dog from the picture! Wait! That WAS you wasn't it?! You can change into animals? Is that what you wished for?"

She nodded. "I can shapeshift. Into anything really but I mostly keep it to animals as they've been the most useful. No one would guess that the crow gliding around the construction site was a human being."

"Oh." So that's how she watched me save the workers. "But you said Oliver has powers too." Thinking back to the fight and his lightning like attacks. "Does his powers have to do with speed?"

She nodded again as she filled her clothes and became human once again. "Tonight's fight was a test to see if you could defeat him."

"I knew that sounded rehearsed," I said more to myself. "What's this Order? Some kind of organization of gifted people?"

"It's a bit like that. We're a global organization that deals with the affairs of the countries using the various gifts of the Blesseds. We handle various situations that are proposed to us. Or...at least we will when we officially open to the public. We are still searching for others. There should be about 10 of us. To sum it up, we want you to join the Order. We could use someone like you." She crossed her arms. "So what do you say?"

I thought about it for a second. "What about my job? Am I still going to live here?"

"You can keep your job. We won't be getting many funds until we've done some jobs, so you can keep yours if you want to. As for living here, we won't force you to move, but you may get unwanted attention after the first few operations. The rest of us stay in government quarters in our own flats hidden in New York. It's nice. Plus, we can't really help you with your powers when you're way out here." She picked up an old photo of an elderly woman from the 1870s. It's frame was old and wooden but still held together. 

"I....ill join, but I want to stay here for another week before I move. I really like it here."

"Of course," she said setting the picture down again. "We'll arrange for a moving next Tuesday. Here I'll write down the Order's main number. You can text them this address so they can send you a truck. They'll bring you to the HQ." She wrote the number down on the tablet I had on the coffee table. 

"Alright," I muttered. I watched her lithe hand move before setting my pen down. "So about earlier.... does this mean your offer was fake?" 

She smiled at me. "You guys really on care about one thing, don't you?"

"Well, in my defense, it has been a while..."

"Alright," she answered rolling her eyes. "Come on." She took my hands pulling me off the couch towards the room.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up with a slight headache. The buzzing made it worse. I sat up and pressed the button on my alarm. Too hard. I could hear it crack beneath my hand. I sighed and lifted the cup of water between my thumb and pointer finger so I wouldn't break it like I'd done many times before. The cold liquid helped me feel better, so I set the cup down again and rolled over. There was strange character there. A large cat with rounded ears bearing stripes. 

"What. The. HELL?!" I yelled just before I fell backwards into this floor. 

She looked over edge of the bed at me before shifting in to a human. "Oh my god! I'm sorry! I thought you would remember me."

I got up, still feeling strange. "I do mean! I mean I did. I just forgot for a second... You weren't a tiger last night when we uh...?"

"Oh. No. No. I just prefer to sleep as animals because they get comfy way easier." She leaned back on the headboard covering herself with the sheets. She reached over the bed and started gathering her clothes. "Mind if I use the shower?"

"Not at all," I answer as she gets up. She disappears into the shower for a half an hour. 

While she did that, I made pancakes with chocolate chips in them. I got out the whipped cream and syrups (chocolate, maple, and strawberry) then took out the fresh strawberries and blueberries I had. I set it on the counter next to the stove where I stacked the twelve large pancakes I made. Then I made coffee. She got out just as I was scraping the last pancakes off the pan. 

"That smells good. Is there some for me?" 

I smiled and handed her a plate. As she fixed her food and started to eat, I realized she must be a morning person. She was bright and smiled a lot despite it being 8 in the morning. Plus, you could tell whether someone was a morning person by how much they ate. She had 7 and a half of my pancakes all soaked in strawberry and chocolate syrup with strawberries. She ate it all. 

I had the remaining 4 and half with chocolate syrup, blueberries, and sugar.

"For someone who doesn't need to eat, you sure do love to," I started. 

"Why not?" she asked through a mouthful. 

I just smiled resting my head on my hand. I hated to admit it, but I really liked her. Why shouldn't I? She was cool, confident, fun, and not afraid to be herself. It was really....comfortable to be around her. Plus, she could handle having sex with me. With ME! Most girls and guys I've done it with could barely move afterwards. They were usually bruised and had something torn. I couldn't remember much about it but I definitely remember getting undress and her laying bare on my bed and getting so close...

I shifted uncomfortably, trying not to be turned on. The night was over. I had to let her go. At least, for a little while. 

"So... I'm guessing you have plans for today," I said as nonchalantly as I could. 

She nodded and swallowed another mouthful. "Since we've made contact with you, I have to head back to the HQ to resume training." She took her last bite then wiped her mouth off with her napkin. Then she proceeded to delicately sip at her black coffee. 

"Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?" I asked just to make sure. 

"No," she answered. "I've been dating with some of the others, the Blesseds, but I don't really know. I haven't really felt connected to them."

"Oh. Well....did you ever have sex with them?" I asked tenderly. 

"Some of them," she answered, smiling at me. 

I rubbed my hot neck and looked away. I shouldn't have asked that. I should NOT have asked that. 

Her phone buzzed and she glanced at it. "That's my call," she said. She got up and got her jacket. "It was fun though. And thanks for the breakfast. I'll see you when you get to the HQ." She winked at me. 

"Alright I'll see you there. Don't sprain a wing or something." I winced. 

She giggled. "I don't fly. I drive." She shut the door. I listened as her footsteps faded down the hall. 

"Sprain a wig? Sprain a wing?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" I asked my hand flying to my face. "Why would she fly all the way here?!"

"Why do you have to be so stupid, Todd?" I groaned and then let out a defeated sigh. "I don't think I'm gonna get her now." I stared at the floor for a minute. Then I leapt to my feet and went into the living to the tablet where the number was written. 

I called them and told them I was joining. They told me Allie had told them I would call. They asked when I would like the mover truck to get me. 

"This Friday please."

After that we agreed on a time. After that, I cleaned the dishes and the clothes. I went to the store and got boxes for my meager amount of items. Most of it was clothes and dishes. The rest was miscellaneous objects like candles and batteries and my laptop. The table set was the apartment's along with all the major appliances. I emptied and cleaned my furniture and collected everything from my bathroom. I swept the floor and packed everything. I left my bed together but with a blanket and my pillow instead of it made. Once I had everything ready to go, it was 8, so I watched shows on my laptop then went to bed after a shower. The next morning, I called my previous boss and told him that he could cancel the plans to get me a job. I told him that I had found one. He thanked me again for having worked there. After that I went eat out for lunch then visited some of my favorite spots. This included the town library, the old docks, the park, and the art street. It was 6:00 when I met up with the few friends I've made while living there. We went to the Alleyway. We joked and laughed and had quite a few drinks. Or at least, I did. I don't know why leaving made me feel like drinking so much but I think I had the most drinks I had ever had there. I was tipsy to say the least. I drank, ate some sushi, drank some more, and then I believe I passed out at the bar. I was awoken by a prodding in my side. 

"Wake up, Todd!" Jeremy hissed. 

"A cop just pulled up," whispered Heather. 

I sat up and looked around. The others giggled. The cop was in the doorway. He walked over to us.

"How are you folks doing?" The cop asked. He didn't look angry. Just curious. Even still it made me super nervous. I couldn't get arrested. I was leaving tomorrow. 

I stood up and nearly feel over. I felt like 5 hands grab hold of me. I shook them off and stood up straight. "How do you officer dude?" Shit. What'd I just say?

"Son, I think you're drunk. How about we get you home?"

"I'm not swear, I drunk." He raised an eyebrow. "Alright. Alright. I...just need the bed-bathroom," I fumbled. I lurched towards the bathroom doors and jumped into the one closest to me. I got into the first stall and leaned over the toilet. I threw up like I hadn't since I had the stomach virus two years ago. It took a second after finishing for me to get my bearings straight and to catch my breath again. I felt another hand on me. This time, my shoulder. I looked up and Heather was standing there, looking down at me. 

"What are you doing in here?" I coughed. 

"I could ask you the same," she answered. "This is the girl's bathroom, honey."

"Oh. Oh shit."

"It's okay. No ones in here. The cop is fine with it. Are you okay?"

"I...I'm fine. I just need a min-" I couldn't get it out without starting up again. Not much was coming out anymore, so I was practically dry retching. Great... After a minute, it stopped again. I made to stand up, trying to use the toilet to keep from falling over. The toilet seat came off in my hands. Not good. I tried to put it back but it just broke in half in my hands. I'm so uncoordinated when I'm drunk. I dropped it in the toilet. 

"Back up, Heather," I told her as I turned around. 

She did so slowly. "Are you alright? Are you done?"

I nodded wildly. "Yes. I'm fine. Just don't get in the way.....Could you open the doors for me?"

I was glad I'd known her for a while. She knew to a certain extent that my strength was a bit more than the average human being so she did things for me without question. She opened the bathroom door and lead the way outside where the cop was waiting for me.

"You walked here?" the cop asked kindly. "I can call you a cab."

"No. No. I'm fine. I can walk," I reassured him. 

"Take the cab, Todd, please," Heather spoke up. The others were quiet. 

"Alright fine," I sighed. 

The cop called a cab. When it arrived, Heather opened the door and let me in. I rode back to my apartment. I got a bottle of water from the vending machine in the hall. Then I went to my apartment and passed out on the floor. When I woke up, I drank water for my headaches. When 1 rolled around I had just finished takin apart my bed. The van arrived outside. Men offered to take my stuff downstairs to it. I let them take some of it but I took the heaviest stuff. It would be faster that way. Once everything was loaded, I climbed into the van and fell asleep again. It must have been a long drive from South Carolina to New York, but I wasn't awake to know. When I asked, they told me about 12 hours had gone by. It was past 1 am. It may have been an hour later when we pulled into a gated area surrounding a large building. It was hard to tell how large it was in the dark to be honest. We pulled into the garage and an escort was there to meet me. 

"You'll sleep in a guest room for tonight," he said. "In the morning there will be paper work to fill out and then you can see about your room. After that, we have training in the gym area. You can meet the others there after breakfast. Breakfast will be brought to your room. We will provided gym clothes if you need. Any questions?"

"Uh...no. I don't think so."

"Good." He turned. "Follow me to your room."

I followed him through the building. The walls were a soft grey with pale blue and green accents. We went into elevator. There I could see that the building had 6 floors not including the ground floor. We went up to the second floor. He lead to me to one o the various doors and with a card unlocked the door and let me in. He handed me the card after that and left.

I dropped my bag with my laptop and clothes on the floor then went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Laying on my bed was relaxin but I couldn't fall asleep. Not right away. I think it was almost 4 when I dozed off. Around 6, someone woke me with a knock on the door. I got up and found the same guy at the door. 

"Get dressed and come with me."

I did as he said trying to look good but all I had was casual clothes. I slipped on a red tee shirt and my best pair of jeans with black scarf. I had no sense of fashion, so it was the best I could do. He lead me to the top floor to a small office where an older woman was sitting at the desk. I sat down and rested my arms on the arm rest. 

"So," she said once the butler guy had gone, "you want to be part of the Order?"

"I guess so." I stared at her hands. 

She slid a stack of papers over to me. 

"What are these?" I asked lifting them up to look at them. 

"These papers are just written agreement that you will follow the orders of the superiors here, that your intentions are to help the people of the world, that you accept any punishment given to you for your wrongdoings, and that you understand that your life may be at risk when doing a job and we are not held responsible for any injuries you may obtain. In other words, you can't sue us for doing the job you signed up for. That doesn't mean we won't see to any injuries you happen to get. Understood?"

"Is that all?" I asked looking up at her. 

"Not quite. You'll have to turn in your laptop and phone. We can't allow traceable appliances to be used here. It will give away our position."

"Oh." Why was that more displeasing than the fact that I could die on a mission?

"Don't worry though," she said. "You will get a replacement phone. And you still have tv."

"Alright. Where do I sign?"

She lifted up the packet to the last page then handed my a pen. I signed on the line provided. Next, she handed me a folder. 

"What's-"

"A folder containing the profiles of the other Blesseds. This tells what Star Child they met, their personality, their powers and their extent, and various accidents and crimes they have stopped and committed. It also has pictures so you can see what they look like."

I held the folder nervously. "The...others don't have one of me...do they?"

"Yours is still in the works, Mr. Todd, but they will have them when we've gathered enough intel. You can help us with that later or we can go at it alone. It's up to you really, so think about it." Se tapped the folders on the desk. "That'll be all for now. Your stuff has been brought to your flat. The fridge already has food stocked in it. If you don't want to cook, there is a cafeteria on floor 1 where you can already find cooked meals though a little less tasteful. Get settled. Then around 9 you can go to the ground floor training area. You'll meet the others there. Any questions?"

"Uh. One. Who is the highest boss here?"

She smiled. "You'll meet him soon."

I left and the butler dude who finally told me his name was Harvey showed me to my flat. He gave me a key and showed me to flat 7 on the 4th floor. It was much bigger than my previous apartment. My tiny sofa looked like a doll piece in front of the large flat screen tv. There was a fish tank with a single small koi fish. Cool. On one side of the living room the entire wall was siding glass doors that lead to a balcony. There were a few potted seedlings each with their labels. Perennial flowers and a miniature fruit tree. Peaches. I looked in the bathroom and gawked at the large tub with jets and everything. There was also a shower. My old worn down towels and washcloths were on the vanity along with some newer fluffy ones. This place had everything. In my extra room there was a whole wall filled with books on various things like martial arts, mechanics, world history, and of course gardening. In my bedroom, my bed was already set up and made. It had a new fleece blanket draped over the end and had an extra pillow. The kitchen had a small two chaired table set and the fridge and pantry were stocked as promised. After putting my clothes into the dresser I took out my phone and laptop so I could turn it in when I went downstairs. I gathered myself and went down stairs to look for the cafeteria on the first floor. I didn't see anyone in there when I got there. There was a small selection of foods offered, but it looked good. I got French toast with eggs, bacon, and grits. I got a carton of chocolate milk to go with it. I sat down and ate my toast as I pulled out the folder and started going through it. 

They were all different. Some people were from Europe, some from Asia, and some from North America. It seemed like most came from Europe though. I wondered why that could be. Were the Star Children mostly from Europe? Where did they even come from?

I could remember talking with mine. Almost like it was yesterday and not over a hundred years ago. It was cold in the mines. The opening had collapsed and I was the last one there left alive. I'd been for three or four days. I couldn't really tell because it was pitch black down there. I was huddled up in a stack of the other miners' jackets and amongst their bodies. I had been shivering in that spot for hours staring at that one spot. That spot where I could swear it was glowing but so palely I wasn't sure if my eyes were playing tricks on me. I finally grabbed a pick axe and started hacking through the ice. As I got closer I could see the light get brighter. The ice broke from around it as I pulled it out the wall. It looked like a black stone ball with cracks that glowed an array of colors. 

Help me.

That had been a voice. It came from the rock. It may have been larger than a basketball but I hadn't thought anything intelligent enough could be in something so small. I lifted the pickaxe above my head and brought it down right into a crack. It burst open and threw me back into the wall. Everything went black for a minute. When I opened my eyes, I couldn't move. I couldn't speak.

There standing in front of me was a large humanoid creature. It was glowing, casting an ever color changing glow around the room. It's long arms reached to its knees. It had one giant white eye in the middle of its face. It was both terrifying and beautiful to behold. 

It stared at me for a second. "You saved me," it spoke in a soft voice. "I'm very grateful for what you did. For this, I will help you in return." He? It snapped it's fingers. 

The pain in my limbs disappeared in a flash. The frostbite disappeared and I was enveloped in a bubble of warmth. I could stand again and was no longer shivering. I looked at it in awe as it continued to speak. "Along with healing you, I have given you eternal youth and endless energy. I'm willing to grant you one wish. A power of your own. What would you like?"

I looked at the ground. Then I looked at the block entrance. "Strength," I muttered. 

"Strength?" It echoed. 

"Not just any strength," I added quickly. "I want strength beyond my wildest dreams. To be able to lift anything I ever wanted with ease!" I quieted down. "You can do that? Please?"

It nodded. "Your wish will be granted." It snapped. "It is done. Now I must leave. Thank you." It disappeared in a flurry through the roof. 

As the cold started to seep through, I went to the entrance and punch throw it. It crumbled beneath my hand. I didn't even feel a thing. I broke through and the cold wind swept in. I crawled out. Then I went home. All I ever knew was that the cyclops was stuck in that stone and the stone was trapped in ice. I don't know how it got there. I don't know where it came from. I assumed the others knew just as much. 

"Well, hello there!" A voice from my shoulder snapped me back to reality. I jumped. 

At my side was a young man looking to be my age or so relatively speaking. He had dirty blonde hair and brown eyes, a strong jawline, and a smirk, not a smile. "Didn't mean to scare you," he said tapping the table. "You're new here aren't you? They have given your profile out yet. What's your super power?"

"Uh," I answered. I looked through the papers from the folder. "Waldo?"

"That's me. I'm guessing you'll probably want to see mine first so here." He lifted out a hand towards my tray. The spoon floated up them twisted into a curl then dropped right into my grits. 

"Elemental control my friend," he patted me none to gently on the back. "So what do you have?"

Irritated, I picked up my spoon and shook it off. Then, I bent it as straight as I could again. "Ooh super strength," he crooned. "That's nice. I'm sure you have a lot of fans."

"No. Not really." I noticed that he didn't have any food. "Did you come in here to eat or...?"

"Oh. No. I saw you sitting here. I don't eat. Why should I when I never get hungry?" He checked his watch. "Well, I'm gonna head downstairs to the training room. See you there." He winked at me then left. 

Who was this guy?

I looked at his profile. 

Name: Waldo Fontenot   
Born: 1912 in Churchill Canada  
Star Child: Star Elf met in Canada  
Power description:Elemental control over all non carbon based forms such as water, fire, rock, air, lightning, and ice. Can breathe under water with an air pocket.   
Skills:  
Boating  
Fishing  
Survival skills  
Weaknesses: biological creatures.  
People   
Good deeds: saving stranded boaters  
Bad deeds:theft   
Destruction of public property on several accounts  
Public disruption and fighting

He seemed like a punk. I didn't like him. I continued through the folders then stopped. Oliver seemed strange. 

Name:Oliver Schmidt  
Born: 1790 born in England  
Star Child: Star Pegasus met in a river underwater  
Power description: Fast reflexes and hand and foot speed. Can run up to 200+ mph. Can process information at high speeds.   
Skills: speed  
Good eyesight  
Good at hiding things  
Great jumper  
Weaknesses: not strong  
Bad social skills  
The night and darkness  
Good deeds: Prevented thefts and robberies  
Broke up hostage situation  
Bad deeds: 1 case of rape

I thought he seemed like a decent guy. Maybe he was. It's not like he has done anything else bad. Maybe he regretted doing it. I mean, Allie seemed to enjoy his company. She didn't seem to think bad of him. Maybe I was judging too soon. I put the files away and finished my breakfast. I looked at my watch and found it 5 minutes until 9. I turned my plate in them went down the elevator to the ground floor. I took a minute to wander aimlessly and try and find the training room. After a bit, I could hear the noise of movement and voices and followed it to the training room. It was a large open room with a high ceiling. There was a large pool on one end, but that still left plenty of room for the various workout equipment and racks of different weapons and target in one corner. They had a shooting range even. As I stepped in most the people there stopped what they were doing to look at me. My blush came back to me as I looked around at all the faces. One pushes forward. A blonde with blue eyes. 

"Todd!" Allie called out. "I'm so glad you're here! Did you find the trip okay?" She stopped right in front of me. "Well?"

"Uh. Yeh. It was fine," I told her glancing over her shoulder. 

"Don't worry. They won't hurt you." She grabbed my hand and lead me forward despite my rising anxiety. "Everyone meet Todd. He's a new Blessed. Todd, this is Ling, Waldo, Oliver, and Riley. You'll meet Dexter later. He's busy right now."

I waved amongst the various hi's. Before I could say more, Ling spoke up with his Chinese accent. 

"Is it true that you're power is super strength?" he asked. 

I nodded and they started talking amongst themselves. Allie pursed her lips at me. "Guys," she said making them stop. "You are being rude."

"Yes," Waldo said. "Where are our manners?" He took my arm much to my discomfort and lead me to the open floor. "We must treat the newcomer as one of our own after all he is." He let go and stood a couple meters away. "Come on,'Todd'. Let's spar."

It was quiet as everyone waited for me to answer. I knew this probably wasn't a good idea, but maybe I would impress Allie. 

"Okay," I answered.

He got into position. I just stood there. One hit should do well. It worked with Oliver. I glanced over at him where he stood. His eye wasn't swollen but one could still see the dark circle around it. I looked back to Waldo and he made a come forward motion. Shrugging inwardly, I charged forward to punch him. A sprout of fire shot from Waldo's hand and I threw my arms over my face stopping against the heat. When I uncovered my face, I found my scarf had caught flames. I ripped it off and stamped it into the ground. 

"That was my favorite scarf," I moped. He laughed and smirked at me. 

I charged forward again, but he thrusted a hand at me. A gust of wind lifted me off the ground and threw me backwards into a weapons rack. I picked up as many as I could and hurled them one by one at him. He dodged them like it was nothing which infuriated me. I charged for the third time and was half way there when a stream water shot out the pool and wrapped around my face. I held my breath and clawed at it but my hands would just pass through it, getting damp. I stopped after a couple of failed attempts and stared at the others. They were all watching me. Waiting to see what I would do. But what could I do? My lungs were burning for a breath and I couldn't hold it anymore. I sucked in a breath. I started choking on the water. I couldn't see a thing. I tried to cough the water up but it just made me suck in more. I was on my knees by now and I felt I was going to pass out any second when all of the sudden the water bubble dropped. I sat on the floor for the next few minutes coughing. My lungs were burning. 

"What the hell, Oliver?! What's is your damn problem?!" I could hear Waldo yell. 

"You were going to KILL him, you fucktard! How could there not be a problem?!" Oliver hissed. 

"I was not you moron! I just wanted to scare him! He's not invincible you know!"

"That doesn't make a damn bit of difference!"

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up expecting to see Heather but instead it was Allie. "Are you okay?" She asked.

I nodded, trying to catch my breath. She knelt beside me with her hand on my back. I could still hear Oliver and Waldo arguing. Footsteps approached my side. 

"That was a good try for a first time," Ling said. "Better luck next time."

I stood up and looked at the two of them arguing about something I wasn't even sure about anymore. Riley came up to me with a towel. Her mass of ginger hair was quite brilliant. Like the warm glow of the sun. I accepted the towel and dried off my hair and patted my clothes off. 

"That's it! I'm done with you," Oliver said turning his back on Waldo and walking away. 

He was at the door when Waldo scoffed and muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. "Rapist."

The whole room froze along with Oliver, his hand on the door handle. It felt like forever before he opened the door and continued on. The whole room seemed to relax including me, but I didn't feel right. I went after him despite the protesting voices of the others. I ran past the door and searched for him then spotted him farther along. 

I ran up to his side then fell in pace with him. I wasn't sure what to say so we walked silently for minute. 

"I just wanted to say thank you," I admitted. 

He stopped. I stopped. He looked at me. "It's fine."

"No really. You really helped me out there. It means a lot to me."

"Okay," he answered not too concerned.

I rubbed my neck nervously. "And about what he said. He's just trying to hurt you. It doesn't make you a bad person. People make mistakes all the time."

He snorted at this then leaned close to me. "Sorry to disappoint you, but it wasn't a mistake." He turned and continued walking, leaving me a bit sickened and very disappointed. 

"Todd?" I turned to see Allie. "I should have told you not to bring that up. I'm sorry. It's a very....sensitive subject for everyone. Something we just can't talk about."

I looked at the ground. After a minute, I asked, "Why does it feel like we're all just crazy?"

She opened her mouth then closed it again. Then, she stepped towards me and wrapped her arms around me. I was surprised but hugged her back, enjoying her grasp.

"Well, what do we have here?" said a voice I'd never heard before. We split up and turned to see who had spoken. 

"Dexter!" Allie barked. "The meeting is over all ready?"

He nodded. "I have a hand at being convincing." He turned to me. "You must be Todd. I've heard a lot about you." He offered a hand to me. 

I didn't want to take it. I had nothing against the guy despite his nerdy look. But I had a bad past with handshakes. I've crushed hands too many times to count. 

He pulled his hand back before I could say anything. 

"Right. Now. To the training room?" He lead the way.

Once we were back in the large room, the others gathered round from where they had been talking. Dexter looked around at all of us, rocking on his heels as he did so. Then he loosened his tie and began. 

"I'm very disappointed in all of you with the way you treated this newcomer," he said. "Especially you Waldo."

Waldo snorted and looked away. 

"You want to be a good hero, but you continue to act in a petty manner. You're too proud for your own good and you know that. If you had any self control at all, I wouldn't be standing here fussing you. And the rest of you. You just sat and watched. The only one who did something was Oliver."

I had been searching through my profiles and found Dexter's. 

Name:Dexter Johnson  
Born: 1555 in London  
Star Child: Star Siren met unknown  
Power description: has the ability to read people's thoughts and feelings. Can do so to any one he is aware of.   
Skills: War tactics  
Spying  
Infiltry tactics  
Law making   
Debating  
Mathematics major  
Weaknesses: crowds  
Good deeds: Created the order for other Blesseds  
Has prevent heists and assassinations  
Bad deeds:???

A mind reader. No wonder he knew what happened. And he knew just how to handle it when he could read their thoughts.

"I'm sorry Allie but just thinking about something isn't doing it," Dexter said. Allie lowered her head. "You should be ashamed of yourselves."

I noticed most the others found a distant speck to stare at instead of Dexter. 

"Now that I've seen to that." He had his hands in his trousers pockets. "I bring good news. The U.K., Italy, Germany, Japan, France, and Canada have all agreed to sign the Order Agreement with the US. We will be the first to be notified on any events that happen. We have permission to be in any of them at any time as long as we give notice of our arrival. We are still to follow all laws of each one so I advise to brush up on each one. We are currently in standby mode. We have to be ready to leave at any moment so be on your feet. But I'm telling you now we only deal with situations the police can't handle alone. So don't jump at every petty theft you hear on the news. Am I clear with everyone?"

There was a resounding mutter of yes from everyone. 

"Good. You may resume your training." They split up into their own different sections. Allie went to the pool. Riley and Ling went to the sparring area picking up their own choice of weapons. Waldo went to the exercise equipment. 

I stayed where I was. "Uh... Dexter?"

"Yes?" He turned to me. 

"About what happened with Oliver... Does he really not regret what he did? You should know because you can read his mind and all. Right?"

He shook his head. "I'm not going to give out personal information of someone else. That's just not how it works." He looked up at me. I just realized how short he was. "We should start your training though. Here." He reached into his pocket and threw what seemed to be a white ball at me. I caught it and opened my hand to inspect it. It wasn't a ball. It was an egg. Or least it was. Now, it was a crushed pile of shells and goop. He shook his head. "You have wondrous strength but no control over it. If you cannot control it, you could do damage during an operation." He shook his head again sadly.

"So does your strength have any limitations?" He must have read my mind because before I could answer, he continued, "I see. Let's see it then. Follow me." 

I wiped the egg off on the towel I had used earlier. Then I followed him to the exercise equipment. There were a few spotters one of them was help Waldo. We stopped at the weights. There was a bar with several weights on it. Two fifty pounds weight on each side. He motioned me to it. 

I wrapped my hand around it and lifted it off the ground with ease. He watched with interest. He pointed to the weights. I took off all the big ones and slid them on to the bar. There were 8 100 lb weights altogether along with 10 50 lb weights. The total was 1300 lbs. over a ton. I offered Dexter to lift it. He came over and pulled at bar. It didn't budge despite his best efforts. I reached down with one hand and lifted it off the ground. It felt like nothing to me. Even so, the bar bent in the middle. I passed it to my other hand then passed it around my back back to my other hand. When I had finished I dropped it onto the ground with the loudest clank I've heard even though the floor was matted. One of the hundred lb weights popped off rolled a little ways then fell over right onto Dexter's foot. 

"Ouch!" he yelped hopping on one foot as he gripped his injured one. 

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" I picked him up and carried him to one of the bench presses and set him there. He untied his shoe and pulled it off along with his sock. His foot was bright red growing purple around his toes. 

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Do you need some water or some ice or something?" I wanted to hold his foot but I was afraid of doing more damage.

"It's okay, Todd. Calm down. Hey you!" He pointed to one of the maids that stood off to the side. "Get me a bag of ice with a washcloth." She nodded and disappeared. 

I stood back as some of the others came over. "Are you okay, Dexter?" Ling asked inspecting his foot. 

"I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about."

"Nice going, Todd," Riley muttered. 

I shot her a look. She squealed and melted into a dark splotch and shot out the room. 

What the hell?

I should really have looked closer at her profile. I turned back to Dexter. His foot was purple. "Oh geez," I muttered. 

The woman came back with a bag of ice and placed it on his swollen foot. 

"You should see the nurse and get an X-ray," Ling suggested. 

"No. I'm fine." He went to stand, but as soon as he put pressure on his foot, he sat back down with a hiss. "Yeah. Alright. I'll go." He leaned on a spotter and hopped on one leg to the door.

Once they were gone I just sat unsure of what to do. The others went back to their training. I thought for a second then pulled out the profile folder. I looked up Ling's. 

Name: Ling Wu  
Born: 1945 in Beijing, China   
Star Child: Star Dragon met at geologist lab in Beijing  
Power description: Has superior eye vision and hand eye coordination. Able to hit a fly from a football field ball away with a tack on a stormy night  
Skills: Combat training  
Gun practice  
Bow and arrow practice  
Can speak mandarin  
Weaknesses: up close fighting  
English skills  
Good deeds: crime prevention  
Assassination of criminals  
Saving lives in the army  
Bad deeds:???

I studied it for a while. Then I walked over to where he was practicing some kind of sword stance. I stood off to the side and watched him practice moves on a wooden dummy. After a while, he stopped and sheathed the sword. 

"Can I help you?" he asked. I realized I had irritated him. That was not my intention. 

"Sorry," I answered. "I just...wanted to talk."

"About what?" He seemed curious so maybe this wasn't a complete loss. 

"The Star Dragon. Seems pretty special to get the dragon. Do you think so?"

He shrugged. "I think all the Star Children are important. I don't know how. I'm just lucky enough to be chosen as one of the Blesseds. I'm thankful for that."

"You were chosen...by the dragon?" I didn't know they had a choice. 

He nodded. "I worked in a geologist lab. The stone he was incased in was brought there for studying."

"After the first few days, I started hearing it speak to me. So one day, after the others left, I broke it open. It granted me eternal youth and then gave me a wish. It was quite beautiful really. A shimmering dragon much like the Chinese depict it except an array of wonderful colors. I asked it for and eyesight and hand eye coordination infinitely times better than that of an eagle. He granted it to me. I registered for the army. I quickly got recognized as the best sniper in the country. Got paid big bucks. Was let off early with huge pay. But as I grew older and didn't age, I knew I couldn't stay or people would start to notice. So I used my funds to get a new ID and move to America. I've always dreamed of America." He laughed lightly. "It's kind of a crazy place, but it's pretty nice. I learned English. Went to college here. It was much easier than Chinese college. Such competition there. Then Dexter showed up on my door. Told me he found reports on line and knew who I really was. He wasn't going to expose me. He was just interested in offering a job and a place to stay where I'd never have to worry about outgrowing anything." He threw up his hands. "How could I say no?"

He seemed finished. "When yours came out did it happen to like...explode?"

"No," he said confused. "Why? Did yours?"

"Maybe some," I shrugged.

"What was yours?" 

"Oh. A cyclops, I think. It had one eye."

He scoffed. "No wonder your so strong. Cyclops are known for their great strength and brutality. And eating people. But I don't think Star Children do that."

"That's a comfort," I answered. I rolled my eyes. 

He laughed. Maybe he wasn't so bad once you get to know him.

"So the sword?"

"Ah yes. Just practicing for up close action. This is a katana. I like to practice ancient samurai techniques. They were the mightiest warriors."

"Weren't samurai a Japanese?" I asked. 

"And? Just because I'm Chinese, it doesn't mean I can't appreciate other cultures."

"Oh sorry. I guess that was kinda rude."

"It's fine," Long answered. "All the others said the same thing when I started it."

"Can I ask you one more thing?" I asked trying not to seem like I was prying. 

"Sure."

"How long have you and all the others been here?"

"I've been here about 20 years. Of course this building wasn't finished then. It only been finished for about 5 years. I heard that Allie and Oliver met in WWII. They became sort of a legend with helping free the Jews. That's how Dexter heard about them. Then he looked into boaters being saved by an "angel" in Canada in Hudson Bay in the 60s. When he looked into it, he met Waldo."

"Waldo, an angel?" I scoffed before I could help myself. "He doesn't even seem like a Canadian."

Ling shrugged. 

"Riley actually found Dexter. It may have in the 80s or early 90s. Complete accident. She heard him muttering to himself and followed him home as a shadow. She's kind of a creeper, but I kinda feel for her. She's too shy to make it as a human so she stays as a shadow most of the time. So she followed him and heard him and saw his plans about the Order. She finally breaks loose and shows herself to him. He never would have found her even if he knew she existed. So I want to say the Order was actually created in the 1940s or 50s. I don't know anything about Dexter before that. But then there's you. Dexter says you were the hardest to find because you kept such a low profile. You never took praise for the things you've done and often disappeared when word got out about it. I'd say you were kind of a challenge which probably makes Dexter all the more happy he found you."

"I see," I answered. "Thank you for telling me this. I really learned a lot."

He smiled. "No problem." He pulled out his sword again and went back to practicing on the dummy. I watched some more and he didn't seem to mind anymore. It was a while later when Oliver showed back up. I wanted to talk with him, but I decided he needed room to calm down. A little while later, there was a buzz that resounded through the room.

Ling put his sword back on the rack. Seeing my confused expression, he gave me a one word explanation. 

"Lunch."

Then he walked off. I saw Allie making her way to the door a towel on her head. I felt like a little school kid when I got up and ran after her. I met her at the door and held it open for her. She smiled and walked through. I followed her like a puppy. 

"Did you have a good swim?" I asked. 

"Yes. It was quite refreshing," she replied. 

"Are you going to the cafeteria?"

"I think I will today. Just for lunch though."

"That's cool. We can sit together, right?"

She giggled. "Sure. Hey. Do you want to come to my place for supper?"

I smiled like an idiot. "Of course. I mean sure." We got into the elevator. She pressed the button. "I'm sorry. I must seem like a real dork." I sighed. 

"Well, some, but a cute dork."

We got to the floor and stepped off walking into the cafeteria. They were serving hamburgers. I made mine while she made hers. We were both quiet as we sat down and ate. I didn't know what to say. I should have said something but I was completely tongue tied. We both finished and not a word was said. 

Finally I mustered a gut. "So what happens next?" I asked. 

"Well, we train until 2. Then we have free time. Supper is at 7 by the way."

"Right."

"What do you plan to work on? I mean... You could do something other than sit around you know?"

"Oh," I answered. "Like what?"

"Well there's something gymnastics equipment in between the exercise equipment and the shooting range. There's a gymnastics instructor who comes in everyday at 11 and leaves at 2. Have you ever done a backflip or walked on your hands?"

"No. No, I haven't." This seemed appealing. Maybe I could learn something after all.

When we arrived back in the training room, I found the gymnastics instructor and told her I was interested. We started off easy. She went over a lot of stretches and practiced yoga stances for balance. It made me feel silly, but I knew it would do me good.


	3. Chapter 3

I spent my free time trying to come up with something to give to Allie. I looked around through some of the drawers in the furniture that was here when I arrived. In one of the desk drawers I found paint. I could work with that. I found a newspaper, glue, scissors, and a wire hanger. I had an idea. I snapped off the straight part of the hanger. Then I cut out a bunch of petals in the different sizes I'd need. I didn't know her favorite color, so I just painted them rainbow color color to where the center would be red and it would flow through all the colors to purple on the outside. Once I was done, I glued together the pieces using all the self control I could to not crush it. It was mentally exhausting. When I finished, I blew on it until it dried. I looked at the clock. It read 7:02. I was going to be late. I went to the bathroom and brushed my hair. Then I dabbed on a bit of cologne and deodorant. Then I took the flower and headed to the elevator. I clicked the down button and waited. The doors opened to reveal Dexter. He had a cast on his foot and was sporting crutches. I stepped in carefully. He gave me plenty of space. I tried to hide the rose. 

I reached for the button and stopped. My face burned as I turned to Dexter. "Uh.... Where does Allie live?"

He smiles and hits the fourth floor button. "Flat 3," he answered. 

We were silent as the elevator did its work. Elevators were still foreign in my head. Well, my gut. It didn't matter how many times I've ridden in one. They left me feeling weird on top of my nervousness. It didn't feel good. I stepped out of the elevator and approached the room. "Good luck," I could hear being muttered through the closing doors of the elevator.

When I reached the door, smoothing my hair seemed like a good idea. I held out the flower then pulled it back to me uncertain. Why was this so much harder than just sleeping with each other? I held the flower upright with a relaxed grip in front of me. I cleared my throat then knocked on the door. There were footsteps inside. The door opened and I offered the the rose. 

"Oliver!" I said surprised. I quickly withdrew the rose behind my back. 

"What are you doing here?" we asked in unison. 

He blinked. "Allie, did you invite Todd over?" he called into the flat. There was a distant yes hollered back. He huffed then stepped away, going back into the flat. I took the open door as an invite and came in. Before that I dropped the flower I made next to the door outside. It should be fine right there. I took off my shoes at the door then shut it. When I walked in Oliver and Riley were sitting at the table. I noticed Oliver was wearing a green parka vest with a grey tee and dark jeans that were ripped at the knee. Riley was wearing a pink three quarter sleeve shirt with butterflies on it with jeans also. She had a flower clip in her hair. Allie walked in from the kitchen. She looked wonderful. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. She was wearing a three quarter sleeve like Riley except hers was grey with a dragon design. She was wearing khaki capris. In her hands was a silver tray. I sat at the already made table. There were red table mats with creamy colored plates trimmed with gold paint. Two silver forks were provided on the right side and a white napkin sat on the left. I plopped into my seat which was across from Riley. Oliver sat to the left of me. Allie sat the pan down in the middle of the table then left to get something else from kitchen, leaving us sitting in an awkward silence. I studied Oliver's black eye for a bit until he caught me staring at him. I looked around the room. It was quaint and simple with mostly reds and browns. Riley was forever gripping her hands together and staring at her plate. Finding the time, I investigated the pan of food set before us. And by investigate, I mean eye longingly. It was some wrinkly block of pasta with sauce and cheese on top. Then I realized... It was lasagna. It smelt divine. Allie came back and set a bowl of salad with pineapple chunks in it. She sat down this time and rubbed her hands together. 

"Alright. Now that everyone is here, we can start," she said. She cut herself a piece of lasagna. The spatula passed around until everyone had a piece then the salad was passed around with tongs. We started eating. It was really good, but everyone was silent. It was the most awkward time I had ever had. Allie noticed Oliver not getting much down. "Come on, Oliver. Eat up. No desert if you don't finish."

"What's for desert?" He asked curious. 

"Chocolate cake," she replied. 

That must have been enough to interest him, because he finished pretty quickly after that. When we all finished we shared the cake. It was off putting when we started because it was German chocolate cake, but it was pretty good. 

"Funny though," Allie chimed up in between bites, "It wasn't actually created in Germany. It was created in America by a guy whose last name was German." Interesting. When we had finished, she took our plates and then sat down. "Now we're all gonna play a little game."

We looked at each other nervously. 

"It's called Answer Me This. Very simple. All you do is ask a question to one of the other player's. They must answer truthfully. Then that player gets to ask. Got it?"

"And if we don't want to play?" Oliver asked leaning back in his chair. 

"You have no choice," she answered glaring at him. "How about you start?"

"Alright," Oliver answered leaning towards her. "What are you doing? Why did you bring us all here?"

"That's two actually." Allie tapped her chin. "But whatever. I am simply trying to get some bonding going on between us. You and Riley are the quietest out of everyone and Todd is new. I thought letting people in on some of your life and opinions would help us get closer and therefore make a better team." Oliver looked away. "Okay my turn. Riley-" Riley perked up and already had a blush going on. "-how are things with you and Dexter?"

"Oh," she said softly staring at the table. "You know. We're still together. Things are going really well. Dexter actually talked about getting married. Making it official."

"That's great! Okay. Your turn."

"Uh. Ok. Um... Todd," she looked at me. "Did you enjoy breaking my boyfriends foot?"

I wanted to make a joke but I was suppose to tell the truth. To be honest, the truth seemed like the only path that would make me feel better. "No. I didn't mean to. I'm really sorry about that. I wish I could do something to make it better."

The hint of anger melted from her face and she looked away. It was my turn. 

"So... Oliver, have you been seeing any girls or anyone lately?" I asked not sure what else to say. 

"If I were seeing anyone, I'd be sure not to fall asleep on them when we were going to fuck," he answered. He must have misread my confusion because he continued. "Yeah I know. Allie told me the other day."

I looked at her confused. "Did I?"

She looked at the floor for a second then back at me. Then she nodded. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" My face was hot. I felt betrayed a little.

"I didn't want to hurt your feelings," she answered shrugging. 

"Hmph," I answered not knowing what else to say. 

"My turn," said Oliver. I thought he didn't want to play. "Allie. Can I go now?"

"No," answered glaring at him. "Todd, how are you enjoying your first day here?"

"Uh..." How could I put that? "It's had ups and downs, but it was good, I guess. So, Riley, who's your star child?"

"You didn't read my profile?" She didn't make eye contact and her voice was soft. 

"No. I've been busy with settling in," I lied. 

She pushed her ginger bangs out of her face. "Cerberus."

"The three headed dog that guards the underworld? How does that work?"

She shakes her head lightly and I became curious as to what she had to say. "It's not like that at all. Star Cerberus is protector and a guide for spirits. They have a connection with the dead and comfort those that are tortured. They have a connection with all things dark, but not necessarily evil."

"Oh. Sorry. I just don't know much about the Star Children. I don't even know what they are!" 

"Did you not ask yours?" Allie asked. 

"No. As soon as mine gave me my power, it left. I don't know anything." I felt like I was begging for something but didn't really care. I was desperate for answers. 

"The Star Children," Oliver said taking up my question when the others didn't, "are mystical beings made of light and energy. They are children to the Star Lord. He is the being who created this universe."

"So you mean like.....God?"

He nodded. "The bible was written without the knowledge of any of the Stars. But it holds a lot of clues about the Star children. The Star Lord created the Star Children. He can see into the future, the present, and the past. He is the reason everything in this universe even exists. Jesus' twelve disciples. We believe they were all Star Children who were manifested into human form. Now, there's still debate about whether or not Jesus was actually the son of the Star Lord or if he was just like other prophets who could open their minds enough to channel the Star Lord's energy." He looked at Riley who simply crossed her arms. "Anyway, they each helped create the world. Then, they created humanity. Every aspect of it. Each Star Child had a hand. Cerberus helped with souls. The Siren with languages. The Chimera with companionship. The Pegasus with creation of tools. It may not seem like it makes sense but that's what happened."

"But then why were they trapped in the rocks?" 

He leaned back in his chair. I realized the others were paying attention to whether or not they've heard it before. Allie's elbows were on the table and she was staring at Oliver which made me uncomfortable. Riley was sitting with her hands clasped in her lap. 

"It's very simple. The Star Children did the one thing they weren't suppose to do." His eyes narrowed. "They tried to take down the Star Lord. I'm sure it should be obvious how it turned out. The Star Children even with their copious amounts of energy couldn't take down someone with an infinite amount of energy. But instead of destroying them he incased them in these orbs. Ones they could not break on their own. Then set them to orbit the sun. After a bit, they were thrown out of balance and crashed into the earth. They been trapped in their prisons until each of us found them and set them free. They thanked us with gifts. Then they took off. Probably to meet each other again. Who knows?" It seemed make sense. This is probably why the Cyclops was so eager to get going. But it didn't answer all of my questions. 

"How many Children are there?" I asked curious.

"Dexter believes there are twelve altogether. It's hard to know how many have been found. At least, seven. Dexter says he's on the trail of two more. There are still three more yet to be found."

I sat in the silence brewing on this information. The others were quiet for a few minutes to let me think. After a bit, I just kind of nodded, and everyone silently agreed to get back to the game. 

"Riley, it's your turn," Allie said. 

"Oh. Um. Oliver, do you....have a crush?" She asked uncertain. 

"No," he answered. "Todd, who do you like the best here? As a friend?"

I thought for a second as if it was a hard answer. "Ling and Dexter are both kind of tied for top place."

He seemed put off for a second then looked away with a frown. I hadn't realize he was trying to be a friend. He seemed like he hated everything. Including me. But he did help me with Waldo. And was willing to take a beating to get me to join. I guess that's saying something. It made me feel bad for putting him beneath guys who had never really done anything for me other than be a welcoming person. I sorta owed Oliver.

It was my turn and if been sitting there for a whole minute like an idiot. "So Allie..... I got nothing. I don't know what to ask."

She looked at me. "Oh. Are you two out of questions also?" Riley shrugs. Oliver mumbles yes. Allie sighs. "Alright. I guess we can play cards or a board game."

We voted on cards and played poker using snacks as money. When we got tired of it and all the snacks were eaten we broke out classic Payday. Riley won most of the games. When Allie won she would rub it in in a friendly way. Oliver seemed to analyze each time he won to try and get better. I won one round out of pure chance and luck. I was pretty proud of my win even if I did lose for the rest of the time after that. It was maybe 12 when Oliver said he was gonna go home. As the remaining three, we played a few more rounds then Riley and I headed to our own flats. When I stopped outside to get the flower it was gone.

"Hey Riley," I jogged to catch up to her at the elevator. "Where's Oliver's flat?" She pointed the other way down the hall. 

"Flat 2."

"Thanks." She got onto an elevator and disappeared. I went over to Flat 2 and knocked gently on the door. There was a shuffle and footsteps. The door opened. 

"Can I help you?" Oliver asked. He was wearing just sleep pants. No shirt. He was thin but I never realized how muscular he was. He even had a six pack.

"Uh." I tried to keep eye contact with him. "I just wanted my flower back."

He raised an eyebrow. "The one you had at Allie's? I don't have it."

"You were the first one out. It had to be you."

"There is a janitor. For the hallways and public areas. One probably picked it up because it was gone when I got out."

"I-.... I didn't know. Sorry."

He shrugged then shut the door without another word. 

I went to bed after that.


End file.
